Blackpool Central Development

The Challenge

The £300 million leisure development set for Blackpool is “the biggest single investment in Blackpool for more than a century”. The Blackpool Central development will bring world-class visitor attractions to a landmark site on the famous ‘Golden Mile’. A range of indoor attractions will be built, including the UK’s first flying theatre, the world’s first multimedia exhibition of its kind and the most advanced virtual reality experience on an epic scale.

The development will also include new hotels, restaurants, a food market, event square, residential apartments and multi-storey parking.

We first master-planned the £300m project back in 2017 for our client, Nikal, and Media Invest Entertainment, who own the rights to ‘Chariots of The Gods’, the main attraction for the site.

Key Considerations

The site is the disused Central Station which now houses: the magistrates court, the police station, a huge expanse of surface car park, and some existing buildings which are classed as the heritage quarter. These comprise the King VII pub and the old Picture House next door, which dates back to the 1930’s. The plan is to convert this into a food market and then retain and extend to the north and upwards an existing apartment block by removing the existing top floor. There will also be a new 1300 space multi-storey car park (£17m value).

The other challenges we face include: understanding the end-user needs, multiple tenancy agreements, servicing of a large mixed-use estate and management of the overall budget.